What IS the Homeschool Mom’s Personality?
Over the years, when I casually mention homeschooling to people we have just met, I have often heard other mom’s say, “I just don’t have a homeschooling personality.”
Some recoil in horror, others blurt it out quickly, and others say it quietly.
And even though we have been educating at home for years, I always wonder, do I have a homeschooling personality? In the beginning I wondered with panic and I was sure that I did not have the right personality.
What IS a “homeschool mom personality” exactly?
Many folks seem to have an image of a serene, well put together mom overflowing with patience, happily doting on her children all day.
A few years ago, when homeschooling was in its infancy, the image was matching denim jumpers, sewed lovingly by the mom, perfectly matched kids, home made bread from freshly ground wheat, and not a hair out of place.
Not our family! How about yours?
Thankfully, as homeschooling has exploded in popularity, much has changed.
Parents come in all flavors, sizes, economic levels, colors, nationalities, religions, educations, backgrounds and ages. Some have an MD, others a PhD and some a GED, and every level of education in-between. Moms, dads, siblings and grandparents are all teaching kids. The families are just as diverse, some led by a single parent, some large, others small, some with adopted kids, blended families, children from other countries, grandchildren, some even homeschool their siblings, nieces and nephews along with their own. Some families are healthy, others have chronic illnesses, cancer, or learning disabilities. Dads are increasingly taking over the education in many homes, or teaching the subjects they are gifted in.
Homeschoolers are now just a cross section of America.
Homeschooling has spread all over the world, and is popular in countries as diverse as England and Chile. People have found the joy in educating their kids at home and have caught on to the trend worldwide.
One of the most incredible homeschooling moms I have met is blind. Yes, blind. She says with a laugh, “If I can homeschool, anyone can!” With an indomitable spirit, this homeschool mom who is educating her second batch of kids has vision that truly inspires!
When you step back and look at what all of these people have in common, it generally boils down to a commitment to homeschool.
When we first started, my oldest dearest friend, who was a rabid homeschooler insisted that I had to commit to homeschool through high school. I panicked. I was worried about if I had “the personality.” With a first grader with learning disabilities and a middle schooler, there was NO WAY I was going to give it a lifetime commitment. I committed for exactly ONE semester. That was it. But after spending a semester with our girls, I was so hooked that we never went back to private or public school.
Although I have looked and looked for years, and I just cannot find the “homeschool personality.”
There is no single homeschool personality!
It is….a myth!
Whew, guess we can all continue the amazing journey of educating my children at home!